05/28/2012 1:22 AM ET
GEICO Week in New York: May 28-June 3
By Brian DiMenna / SNY.tv
Johan Santana turned back the clock in a vintage performance on Saturday. (AP)

Happy Memorial Day everyone, as good a day as any to remember in an age of great cynicism, there are still some very brave men and women on this earth who do some truly remarkable things. And then there's the rest of us. Oh well. Now on to the sports:

Mets: To date, the Mets have been something of a nice story. They currently sit at 27-21 after taking three of four from the miserable Padres, only 2.5 games behind the Nationals in the NL East and solidly in the Wild Card hunt. But for those of you still not ready to jump on the bandwagon, those still feeling the tinge of worry that this team is an illusion -- or in other words, me -- the upcoming schedule should pretty much tell us all we'll need to know. New York will embark upon a stretch of series where they'll face the Phillies, Cardinals, Nationals, Yankees and Rays, all teams that are, you know, really good. So if you're still thinking that it's kind of weird the Mets are this good with Ike Davis hitting .176, or confused as to how they're winning so many games despite being outscored on the season, you're about to find out if those concerns are with merit. But if you're looking for more optimism, you don't have to look too far past the brilliant seasons being turned in by the team's two marquee stars, David Wright and Johan Santana. While Wright keeps getting on base at an amazing clip, Santana has been the Johan of our absolute dreams this season, completing a comeback that has been nothing short of stunning. In a complete-game shutout on Saturday, he mowed down the Padres with a relentless ease, reminding everyone how fun it is to have a big time ace.

Yankees: For Yankees haters, it was kind of a bum week. After looking like this might just be one of the more ordinary Bombers squads in over a decade, the missing bats came alive over the weekend to ease some of the fears emanating from the Bronx. With multi-homer games from both Mark Teixeira and Alex Rodriguez, the Yankees finally got the sticks going they know they're going to need. After finishing off their series with the Royals with two straight wins, New York carried the momentum into a weekend sweep of Oakland that felt almost routine. The Yankees haven't played all that well for much of this young season, but when they're rolling like this they still have the ability to look like the unstoppable machine we've grown so accustomed to. They'll hit the road next week to take on two disappointing, but menacing teams in the Angels and Tigers.


Monday, May 28
1:10 PM MLB NY Mets vs. Philadelphia
9:05 PM MLB NY Yankees at LA Angels


Tuesday, May 29
7:10 PM MLB NY Mets vs. Philadelphia
10:05 PM MLB NY Yankees at LA Angels


Wednesday, May 30
7:10 PM MLB NY Mets vs. Philadelphia
10:05 PM MLB NY Yankees at LA Angels


Friday, June 1
7:10 PM MLB NY Mets vs. St. Louis
7:05 PM MLB NY Yankees at Detroit


Saturday, June 2
4:10 PM MLB NY Mets vs. St. Louis
7:15 PM MLB NY Yankees at Detroit


Sunday, June 3
8:10 PM MLB NY Mets vs. St. Louis
1:05 PM MLB NY Yankees at Detroit


Knicks: Like any good faith negotiation, the Knicks entered contract talks with head coach Mike Woodson by insisting that he fire his agent. So it was no surprise this week when the team formally hired Mike Woodson to be their head man for the next few years, and while they didn't announce a date for his firing, the expectation is that it is planned for sometime within the next two seasons. No names have yet been mentioned to be his replacement.

Rangers: When it comes to the NHL, sometimes you watch the playoffs and wonder what really the regular season was even for. It's not only because of how much more exciting the games are, but watching the top-seeded Rangers faceoff with the sixth-seeded Devils it was hard to really figure how that was. For most of this series, the Devils looked clearly like the better team. Which isn't to say the Rangers didn't have their chances. After storming back from a 3-0 deficit in Game 5, New York failed to close the deal in the third period, with Ryan Carter burying a goal with under five minutes to go to sink the Blueshirts. Game 6 had a distinctly similar feel, with New Jersey racing out to a 2-0 start. The Rangers would rally again and at times in the third period they looked certain to force a Game 7. But New York was stunned in overtime by Adam Henrique, who jammed in the puck after it had snuck under the pads of an unsuspecting Henrik Lundqvist. Having exited the playoffs, the focus for New York now turns to what's next, as the team will likely to look to beef up what is still a somewhat pedestrian offense. But that doesn't mean we can't take some time to enjoy what was a really special season, one that we hope is a prelude for bigger things to come.

Devils: You know, basically just like the Rangers, only the opposite, and more fun. After vanquishing New York in six games, the Devils will head to the Stanley Cup finals to take on the Los Angeles Kings. The Kings have looked dominant during this postseason, but with the a ton of momentum themselves, and the great Martin Brodeur in net, there's no reason to think New Jersey can't take home another Lord Stanley's Cup.

Brian DiMenna is a regular contributor to SNY.tv.
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